It was a bright spring day at Flight Level 350, far above the Chesapeake Bay, as we cruised up the Eastern Seaboard en route to Newark, New Jersey. This was my first time flying a jet in more than a month—really flying, not playacting in a giant video game on hydraulic stilts ensconced in the antiseptic cloisters of the training center.
Taking Wing: Black Swan Rising
Key Takeaways:
- As a new airline captain, the author experiences his first day of Initial Operating Experience overshadowed by the sudden and severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his global airline.
- The pandemic is presented as a "black swan" event, akin to 9/11, rapidly unraveling a newfound industry optimism shared by younger pilots and management, proving aviation's inherent vulnerability to external shocks.
- The crisis led to drastic measures, including massive capacity cuts, empty flights, thousands of cancellations, and the grounding of hundreds of aircraft, putting the airline's survival and pilot careers in jeopardy.
- Despite the grim immediate outlook and personal uncertainty, the author expresses a belief that the public will eventually return to flying, and the aviation industry will recover.
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